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Re: UNLABELLED GRAPHICS/PHOTOS

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From: Bevi Chagnon | PubCom
Date: May 22, 2011 10:24PM

Tania wrote:
" this is the third world- we face ignorance, indifference and outright
discrimination here."

Tania, it's ignorance.
I say that as a Section 508 trainer to U.S. Federal government employees.
They don't know how an inaccessible document or website prevents blind and
disabled users from getting the same information as those of us who are
sighted and abled.
They don't know how little effort it takes to make a Word document, for
example, accessible to everyone.
And their managers and bosses don't know any of this either.

"we have a toothless accessibility act;"

In the U.S., hopefully the forthcoming new standards and guidelines will
close the loopholes in the existing law and prevent the excuses I've heard
from webmasters and document specialists.

But I think the greater problem is that governments haven't educated their
managers and employees about the law, and more importantly about how to meet
the standards.

Lawsuits and formal complaints from blind and disabled users will help get
the issue on the front burner.

- Bevi Chagnon